Aeroplane.



J. E. BISSELL.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26. 1910.

1 Q42 758 Patented Oct. 29, 1912.

WITNESSES M ATTORN/EV M llvmv oigf JOSEPH E. BISSELL, OF PITTSBURGH,PENNSYLVANIA.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 26, 1910. Serial No. 640,252.

To all whom it may comem:

Be it known that I, Josnrn E. BISSELL, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of Pittsbur h, in the county of Allegheny andState 0 Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Aeroplanes, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention-relates to the improvements in the means of aerialnavigation, and has particular reference to thfit type of aerial vesselswhich is termed t e aeroplane class.

One of the objects of the invention is to utilize the principle ofaeroplanes combined with the principle of gyration, whereby the aerialnavigation is rendered practical and safe. I

Another object of the invention is to provide an aeroplane with a poiseror glider frame built upon the principle of a gyroscope, and havingmeans, in the nature of rotary propellers, for causing said aeroplane toascend, said means being adapted to con trol the flow of air, wherebythe aeroplane descends safely. I

A further object of the invention is to provide the aeroplane with acombined single pro elling and steering apparatus, in the form of anordinary propeller, in combination with means for varying the speedthereof, irrespective of the speed of the source of power actuating thesame.

A'still further object of the invention is to retain the advantages ofthe aerial vessels-of the heavier than air-type, while simplifying theirconstruction and reducing their weight, and to provide more effectively,than in devices heretofore in use, against certain contingencies.

With the objects enumerated, and with others in view, as'willmore fullyappear, the invention consists" of certain novel features ofconstruction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter full described,illustrated in the accompanying rawings, and pointed out in the appendedclaims, it being understood that various changes in the form,proportions, size and minor details of construct-ion may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of theinvention.

One of the many pdssible embodiments of the invention is illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, inwhich:--

Fi re 1 is a side elevation of the aerial vesse partly in section, Fig.2 a section taken on line 2, 2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 a plaln view onsmaller scale of the gyroscopic sai The herein described embodiment ofthe aerialvessel comprises a main frame 4, made of a suitable rigid andlight material and comprisin a substantially tubular member 5, to whicis attacheda substantially horizontally arranged bracket 6, properlystrengthened by a strut 7. 'lothe lower end of the tubular member 5 isattached in any suitable manner a motor 8 for actuating the poiser-,propellingand guiding-means, and being in the present case amulti-oylinder in ternal combustion engine.

The frame of the apparatus is mounted upon the sleigh-runners 9, wherebyin starting the operation of the vessel, an initial movement may beimparted to the same by placing it upon an inclined plane, in the mannerwell known in the art. Upon the frame of the vessel is arranged a tank10 containing the liquid fuel for said motor, the connections for thesame having been omitted from the drawing as the same are obvious, andcan be made by anybody skilled in the art. Part of the tank may be usedfor storing the lubricating material for the motor. Above the tank isarranged the operators seat 11, adjustably carried by a support 12.

The cylinders of the engine are arranged, in the case illustrated in thedrawings, horizontally; the crank-shaft being connected in the usualmanner with a shaft 13, which is journaled in the tubular main frame 5of the apparatus. To the upper end of the shaft 13 is attached a flange14, to which is fastened a, preferably, circular poiseror glider-sail ormembrane 15, made of a light and preferably rigid material, such as forinstance, aluminum, and having a substantially heavy peripheral portion16, for the purpose hereinafter to be described. The frame is providedwith radial and outwardly widening openings 17 17, extending from theflange 14: substantially to the pe- Patented Oct. 29, 1912.

22 of an operating wheel 23, which is ar-' ranged above the seat 11 andwithin the.

reach of the operator. The hub 22 of the wheel 23 is provided with screwthreads24,

in mesh with the threads 25 upon the tubular frame portion 5. By meansof this arrangement', the blades 18 maybe shifted to and kept in anydesired positions, that is to say their inclination to the horizontalplane may be varied from zero to a maximum. it will be observed thatwhen the poiser sail or membrane rotates, the blades 18, if set open,will act in the manner of an ordinary screw propeller. Of course, thelifting power of these blades depends upon their angle of inclination,their size, and their speed.

The combined propelling and steering means of the aeroplane comprises ascrewpropeller 26 (whereby a screw-propeller is meant both the blades ofthe propeller and its hub), and it will be understood that thispropeller is of suitable size, andthat the pitch of its blades is suchas is found desirable. The hub of this propeller is rotatably mounted ina bearing 28; and this bearing 28 is secured to a spindle 29, and thespindle 29 is slidably mounted in a bearing 30, which bearing 30 is inturn pivotally attached at 31 to the bracket 6 of the main frame of theapparatus. Thus it will be observed that thepropeller is pivoted in avertical plane to the bracket 6 while the engagement of the spindle 29and the bearing 30 permits also a horizontal pivoting of the propellerwith respect to the frame 6, and thus there is a universal joint betweenpropeller and machine frame. A spring 31 coiled upon the spindle 29 andacting against the bearing 28 above and the bearing 30 below tends tohold the propeller at a maximum distance from the arm 6. Upon the hub ofthe propeller is a pulley 35 and upon the main shaft 13 of the machineis a pulley 34, and a belt is provided which runs over the pulleys 34and 35 (its path being directed by the idler 36-36) whereby power isimparted from the main shaft 13 to revolve the propeller 26. The beltemployed is preferably in the form of a steel wire. The hub of thepropeller and the bearing 28 upon which it is jonrnaled.

have an axial opening through which extends an operating rod 27. Uponthe end of this operating rod 27 extended to a position adjacent to thepassage or seat, is conveniently attached a hand-wheel 39. It will heunderstood that by manipulation of this opcrating rod 27 the passengeris able to swing ipaavse the propeller moving its axis to any desiredposition, and it will further be observed that in consequence of theelastic connection between the bearing 28 and the bearing 30, thedriving belt 33 will be kept taut whatever he the axlal position toWhlCll the propeller is brought.- Means for causing. variation in thespeed at which the propeller travels with relation to the speed at whichthe main shaft .113 of the machine turns, consist in making theoperating rod 27 rotatable in the axial opening through bearing 28 andthe hub of the propeller, and is provided with a flexible strap 32, oneend of which is securely attached to the bracketfi and the other end ofwhich, attached to the rotatable arm 27, is capable of being wrappedupon the arm when the arm is rotated. If the operator wishes to diminishthe speed of rotation of the propeller relatively to the speed ofrotation of the main shaft .13 of the machine, he rotates the rod 27 bymeans of the handwheel 39, and in so rotating it wraps the strap 32- tosome extentupon the said shaft. In so doing he compresses the spring 29,diminishes the distance between the bearing 28 and, the bearing 30,allows-the belt 33 to slip somewhat upon the pulley 35, and so reducesthe speed of the driven propeller.

In order to increase the stability of the.

apparatus, when in flight, a substantially vertical plane 37 isfastened, in front of the propeller 26, to the rod 27, which plane isintersected by a substantially horizontal plane 38, also fastened tosaid rod.

The operation of the device is as follows: In starting the glide of themachine, the blades 18, 18 are set by means of the hand wheel 23 at anangle to the general plane of the poiser wing or membrane 15, and thenthe motor is put in operation, which gives the desired speed to thepoiser frame, to the blades 18, and to the screw propeller 26, the shaft28 of which is arranged, when starting, in a horizontal plane. Theoperation ofthe blades 18 causes at once an'air disturbance of suchcharacter that the atmospheric pressure is changed so as to create apartial vacuum above the poiser sail, and,

by means of the expansive force of the atmosphere below the same, themachine is floated with its poiser sail gyrating, whereby the vessel iskept in an upright position. The substantially vertical plane 37 servesto prevent the rotation of the main frame of the apparatus with the mainshaft thereof. Of course, the propeller 26 may be set at the same time,if found necessary, so as to produce a current of air which counteractsto some extent that generated by the propeller blades 18, and servingthus as an additional means for preventing the rotation of the mainframe; When the desired height or level is attained, the blades 18 inthe poiser frame may be set so as to diminish or close the openings 17in the same. The sail, of course, continues to gyrate, whereby thestability of the machine is much increased; said frame acting in themanner of a gyroscope, and serving at the same time as a flywheel of themotor 8. Obviously the poiser sail serves also as a parachute, thedegree of its action being determined by the position of blades 18 inthe openings 17.

The substantially horizontal plane 38 serves as an additional means forsteadying the apparatus, and more particularly prevents the overturningof the same.

The machine is propelled and guided in its movement by the propeller 26,the direction of movement being entirely dependent upon the angle atwhich the propeller shaft is arranged relative to the bracket 6 whichcarries it. If the shaft 27 is arranged in a horizontal plane, thepropeller will move horizontally, its direction depending upon the angleat which the propeller is arranged laterally with relation to thelongitudinal axis of the bracket 6. If the shaft 27- is set verticallyat an angle to the axis of the brace 6, the aeroplane will proceed in aplane inclined to the horizontal, rise or descend, depending upon theposition of the propeller shaft 1n the vertical plane. The propeller is,of course, set and held in the desired position by manual movement ofshaft 27, which is provided with a handwheel 39 within reach of thepassenger. It will be observed that the planes 37 and 38 are shiftedwith the propeller and act thus also as guiding means. When the shaft 27is shifted in a vertical plane, the propeller turns upon the pivot 31,While, when shifted g; a horizontal plane, it turns upon the spin- Thespring 31, hereinbefore described,-

serves to keep the belt 33 taut, whereby the full power, generated bythe motor 8, is transmitted to the propeller 26. When it is desired todecrease the number of revolutions of the propeller on maintaining thespeed of the motor, the shaft 27 is given a turn by means of thehand-wheel 39 so that part of the flexible connection 32 is wound uponthe. shaft 27, bringing thus the bearings 28 and 30 nearer to eachother, whereby a certain slippage of the belt upon the pulleys 34 and 35is obtained, decreasing thus the speed of the propeller. I

What I claim 1s:

1. In an aeroplane the combination of a main frame, an extensibleauxiliary frame pivoted to the main frame, a propeller rotatable in saidauxiliary frame, a shaft rotatable in the main frame, means forimparting rotary movement to the said propeller on rotation of the shaftin the main frame and means for effecting a variation in the extensionof the said extensible frame to accomplish a variation in the relativespeeds of the said propeller and the said shaft in the main frame,substantially as described.

2. In an aeroplane the combination of a main frame, a spring-actuatedextensible auxiliary frame plvoted to said main frame, a propellerrotatably' carried in said extensible auxiliary frame, a shaft rotatablein said main frame, 'a pulley on the hub of said propeller, a pulley onsaid shaft rotatable in the main frame, a belt engaging both of saidpulleys, and means for diminishing the degree of extension of the saidextensible frame against the spring tension, substantially as described.

3. In an aeroplane, the combination of a main frame, an auxiliary framepivoted to the main frame, a propeller rotatable in the said auxlliaryframe, means for" rotating said propeller, and a directing rod extendingthrough an axial opening in the hub of sald propeller, substantlally asdescribed.

4. In an aeroplane the combination'of a main frame, an auxiliary framepivoted to the mainframe, a propeller rotatable in said auxiliary frameand provided with an axial opening through its hub, a directing rodextending through the axial opening in said propeller hub, and astability wing carried by said directing rod and extended in a plane,substantially at right angles to the general lane of rotation of saidpropeller, substantially as described. 7

Signed at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, this 24th day of January, A. D. 1910.

i A JOSEPH E. BISSELL.

Witnesses:

EMERSON G. Hnss, .J. J. NORDMAN.

